When you begin a project, the temptation is to hit the ground running. It may be that you’re brimming with ideas, or perhaps the project is so similar to a previous one that you get going straight off the cuff. However, pressing the brakes and taking time to plan can be much more productive in the long term. Here, we look at why planning is paramount in project management.

While it’s obvious that some tasks have to pre-empt others, projects often have a web of tasks and goals. It can be difficult to focus the project team on key result areas. So how does documenting critical success factors (CSFs) keep everyone on track?

The last phase of a project is project closure. It’s here that the project is formally closed and the Project Board receive a report on its overall success. Here, you’ll find out why this process is so important and how to do it correctly.

The terms ‘project owner’ and ‘project sponsor’ are often used interchangeably and aren’t consistently applied. Because of that, there isn’t a generally agreed upon difference between them.

Some people use the words ‘project’ and ‘programme’ interchangeably. Others use ‘programme’ simply to describe a large project. In reality, the two have very distinct definitions.

Going into a project management meeting with no agenda is a recipe for failure! An agenda sets the tone of a meeting by identifying the meeting’s purpose and outlining its objectives. The objectives may include a status update from team members or focusing on milestones and deadlines that are due.

Also known as the iron triangle or triple constraint, the project management triangle refers to three main constraints involved in any project. The delicate balance of these three elements can make or break a project’s success.

Developed by Toyota in the late 1940s, the Kanban system originally aimed to improve manufacturing efficiency. Taking its name from the card system that tracks production in a factory, it has since been refined and customised by many different manufacturers. Now, this system is used in project management, featuring in the PRINCE2 Agile guidance.

While project management takes a project from its starting point to its end, strategic project management looks at the big picture.

PRINCE2 is a proven and effective project management tool, used in all kinds of projects. That includes sporting events much like the highly anticipated Women’s World Cup. The 2019 tournament started in France on 7 June and is scheduled to conclude at the start of July. Every four years since 1991, the FIFA’s Women’s World Cup, like most international sporting tournaments, is a feat of project management. What lessons can be learnt from project managing this tournament played out on the global stage?